United States of America
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It consists of thirty four states, a capital district, and a number of external territories. It has land borders with Canada, and the Confederate States of America. Among its states are Alaska in the far northwest of the North American continent, and Hawaii, an archipelago in the mid-Pacific ocean. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations, and practices every religion known to exist. This is a product of a long period of immigration. The economy of the United States is the largest in the world, and covers virtually all sectors. The United States was the first country to develop several key modern technologies, and has been quick to embrace foreign inventions and make them successful products. The United States is a world centre of industry and finance. Indigenous peoples descended from forebears who migrated from Asia have inhabited what is now the mainland United States for thousands of years. This Native American population was greatly reduced by disease and warfare after European contact. The United States was founded by thirteen British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their right to self-determination and their establishment of a cooperative union. The rebellious states defeated the British Empire in the American Revolution, the first successful colonial war of independence. The current United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a strong central government. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments guaranteeing many fundamental civil rights and freedoms, was ratified in 1791. Through the 19th century, the United States displaced native tribes, acquired the Louisiana territory from France, Florida from Spain, part of the Oregon Country from the United Kingdom, Alta California and New Mexico from Mexico, and Alaska from Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over the expansion of the institution of slavery and states' rights provoked the Civil War of the 1860s. A negotiated peace with the South led to the permanent split of the country into the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. =Recent History= =Economy= The United States has a diverse capitalist economy, fueled by high productivity, well-developed infrastructure, and abundant natural resources. Its GDP is approximately 15% of "Gross World Product". The top trading partners of the United States include the Confederate States, Japan, Russia, Mexico, China, and Germany. The United States is the world's third largest exporter and largest importer. The private sector constitutes approximately 90% of the US economy. The leading sectors of the US economy are wholesale and retail trading, financial services, chemical products, defense, and manufacturing. The economic indicators of the United States are as follows: *Unemployment: 4.3% *GDP growth: 3.6% *CPI inflation: 2% *Public debt: $5.2 trillion *Poverty: 6% Defense Industry The United States is the world's leading military power, and as such as the world's leading defense industry. It is able to provide the US military with the full range of military equipment, from boots to bombers. The US defense industry has been criticised for its domestic influence, and its export policies. In fact, in export policies, the US defense sector has been criticised for being too strict and too liberal simultaneously. Due to steady demand, there has been very little merger activity in the US defense sector. The last major merger was the 1969 merger of McDonnell and Douglas. Leading companies in aerospace include McDonnell Douglas of Missouri and California, Boeing of Washington and Kansas, Lockheed of California, Northrop Corporation of California, Hughes Helicopters of California, North American of California, Grumman Aviation of New York, Cessna of Kansas, Sikorsky of Connecticut and Republic Aviation of New York. In shipbuilding, major companies include Electric Boat of Connecticut, New York Ship, Bath Iron Works of Maine, Vigor Shipyards of Oregon, Bethlehem Shipbuilding of California. For land warfare, major companies include FMC of Pennsylvania, Chrysler Defense, Ford Defense, GM Defense (all from Michigan), Oshkosh of Wisconsin, Colt of Connecticut, Saco of Maine, Armalite of California, Winchester of Connecticut. The US government also owns defence production facilities. =Cabinet= *President: Chris W. Marshall *Vice-President: Colin Amherst *Secretary of State: Richard Armitage *Secretary of the Treasury: Michael Andrus *Secretary of Defense: David Petraeus *Attorney General: Rudy Giuliani *Secretary of the Interior: Dirk Kempthorne *Secretary of Commerce and Labor: Catherine Freeman *Secretary of Transportation: Jarrod McBain *Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: Gray Marcus *Secretary of Health and Human Services: Samantha Gilbert *National Security Advisor: Eric Vanderbilt *Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Karen Dwyer *Director of National Intelligence: Basil Specter *Director of the Atomic Energy Commission: Dale Klein *White House Press Secretary: John Stossel *White House Chief of Staff: Joshua Sambrosa *United States Ambassador to the United Nations: John Bolton *Trade Representative: Robert Robertson =Politics= The United States has operated under a two party system for most of its history. The main parties in US politics are the Republican Party, and the Progressive Party. The Republican Party currently hold the Presidency and majorities in both House and Senate. The Republican Party is considered conservative & classically liberal. The Progressive Party is a centre-left party. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by ex-Whigs and anti-slavery activists. The Progressive Party was founded in 1878 by ex-Democrats frustrated by the post-Civil War trend of a plummeting Democratic vote. =States and Territories= List of States #Delaware #Pennsylvania #New Jersey #Connecticut #Massachusetts #Maryland #New Hampshire #New York #Rhode Island #Vermont #Ohio #Indiana #Illinois #Maine #Missouri #Michigan #Iowa #Wisconsin #California #Minnesota #Oregon #Kansas #Nevada #Nebraska #Colorado #North Dakota #South Dakota #Montana #Washington #Idaho #Wyoming #Utah #Alaska #Hawaii Territories #District of Columbia #American Samoa #Guam #Northern Mariana Islands #Puerto Rico #United States Virgin Islands =Foreign Relations= Category:Countries Category:United States